A former staff member at Cardiff and Vale College (CAVC) has been barred from teaching indefinitely after being found guilty of sending sexually explicit messages and creating sexualised characters on a work laptop. The individual in question, Gaio Ze Kouyate, held the position of a virtual world learning specialist at the college and was reported to have exposed students to inappropriate content through sexualised avatars on the college’s virtual campus. These actions came to light during an Education Workforce Council (EWC) fitness to practise hearing.
According to reports from the hearing, Kouyate used his work laptop to send explicit messages and created avatars with exaggerated sexual features, such as breasts, genitalia, and hips, within the college’s virtual environment. Additionally, it was revealed that he failed to implement adequate safeguarding measures to protect students from accessing inappropriate material. Kouyate had also allegedly suggested to colleagues that students could manipulate their dates of birth to circumvent age restrictions on certain content.
Prior to these incidents, Kouyate had been responsible for developing the CAVC virtual campus on the Second Life platform, where students could interact with avatars and engage in educational activities. The panel overseeing the hearing stated that Kouyate’s actions were deliberate and demonstrated a lack of suitability for his role. Despite not attending the hearing, Kouyate expressed regret and acknowledged that his behaviour was unacceptable during the college’s internal investigation.
The EWC committee ultimately decided to impose a prohibition order on Kouyate for a minimum of two years, effectively removing him from the education register. They emphasised that his actions were incompatible with the standards expected of an educator and that the prohibition was necessary to uphold public confidence in the regulatory process. Kouyate was informed that he could not seek restoration to the register before the specified period had elapsed.
The committee detailed multiple allegations against Kouyate, including using his work laptop to access inappropriate content, sending explicit messages, creating sexualised avatars, and sharing confidential information with colleagues. While Kouyate’s previous conduct had been commendable, the committee determined that the severity of his recent actions warranted a significant disciplinary action.
Overall, the case of Gaio Ze Kouyate serves as a cautionary tale about the responsibilities and expectations placed on education professionals, especially in the digital age where boundaries between personal and professional conduct are increasingly blurred. The EWC’s decisive action underscores the importance of upholding ethical standards in the education sector to safeguard the well-being and integrity of students and maintain public trust in educational institutions.